Bill Hader voices 'The Cat in the Hat' in imaginative new adaptation for 2026

Get ready for colorful and chaotic fun with an all-new adaptation of “The Cat in the Hat.”

Based on Dr. Seuss’ beloved 1957 children’s book, the new “Cat in the Hat” stars Bill Hader as the voice of The Cat, a chaos agent who appears to children to shake up their days and spark some imagination.

In the clip, The Cat’s world and backstory is expanded, with him being sent on “missions” from an imaginative other world that includes other rhyming characters like Pig With a Wig, Yak With a Pack, and Bug in a Mug.

We also get even more of the wackiness with not just Thing 1 and Thing 2, but what appear to be up to a dozen Things crowding the house of a brother and sister who, according to Variety, “brings chaos and mischief to a pair of siblings struggling with their move to a new town.”

Hader is a perfect fit for the quirky yet lovable cat, and he’s joined in the cast by other comedy headliners like Quinta Brunson, Matt Berry, Paula Pell, and “SNL” star Bowen Yang, as well as Marvel star Xochitl Gomez and Tiago Martinez.

Alessandro Carloni and Erica Rivinoja directed this adaptation, and previously worked on family-favorites like “Kung Fu Panda 3,” “Trolls,” and “Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2.”

“The Cat in the Hat’ had a previous live-action feature adaptation in 2003, starring Mike Meyers, hot off the heels of Jim Carrey’s role in “Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas.”

“The Cat in the Hat” is in theaters February 26, 2026